No-quit attitude pays off in BSA Racing’s best finish ever

Doing Your Best, even in adverse circumstances, is part of Scouting’s core.

So we shouldn’t be too surprised that Justin Wilson, driver of the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America IndyCar, finished third in Sunday’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach — even after starting third-to-last.

A qualifying mishap forced Wilson to start the race in 25th place, so he had to make up a lot of ground. But he and his team did just that, propelling the Dale Coyne Racing BSA car to its best-ever finish.

That’s great news for the Coynes, longtime supporters of Scouting. But it’s also great news for the BSA’s brand. Seeing the BSA’s website and logos on a car competing for the checkered flag essentially means free advertising for the BSA. And a better finish equals more air time.

The ultimate goal: Get non-Scouts talking about the Boy Scouts of America and get current Scouts and Scouters thinking about the ways they can use BSA Racing to promote STEM initiatives in their own units.

We can expect more good news from Wilson and the BSA Racing team this season. Wilson is one of just three drivers to finish every race in the Top 10 this year. The others are names you may know: Marco Andretti and Hélio Castroneves.

After going from the back of the pack to the podium, Wilson was in awe.

“I honestly didn’t think I would be sitting here right now talking with all of you,” Wilson told the media after the race. “I had a great car today, plain and simple. It handled perfect, no matter what the situation. The Boy Scouts of America team deserves a lot of the credit for all their hard work this past weekend. For me to move from 25th to finish third shows that.”

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Next U.S. stop: Indy

After a swing down to Brazil (11 a.m. May 5 on the NBC Sports Network), the team heads to the Indianapolis 500, held May 26.

An important reminder about BSA Racing

In past blog posts about BSA Racing, some commenters intimated that the Boy Scouts of America was investing heaps of its own money to support these cars. That’s not true. In fact, the program is a royalty-free arrangement, meaning that thanks to the generous support of Dale Coyne Racing, IndyCar, and Scott Lagasse Racing, there’s no cash investment from the BSA.

Instead, in return for the support from those three groups, the BSA lists them as national sponsors in its promotional materials — that’s it. It’s the kind of relationship where everyone sees the checkered flag.

I had the chance to visit Dale Coyne and Justin Wilson with Explorer Post 36 on the Friday before the race. Wonderful people and very generous with their time. If the team is travelling to your area, make sure your council sets something up! This is a fantastic partnership for Scouting. We should do more to promote it. Wilson placed 7th at last year’s Indy 500. He’ll do even better this year!

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Bryan on Scouting is the official blog of Scouting magazine, a Boy Scouts of America publication. Scouting magazine is published five times a year and is received by 1 million registered adult volunteers.